Sunday, July 24, 2011

Camp Piomingo

I am not an outdoorsy gal. I'm sure this comes of no surprise to those who have known me a long time or even a short while. Here is what I appreciate about the outdoors.

The ocean--I like the sound of it while I sit and listen to the waves. I also enjoy grabbing sanddollars with my toes in thigh deep water. Seriously, I have a gift. I always throw them back. Just the thrill of the find.The sound of insects at night. Now don't get me near cicadas or grasshoppers but the sound is incredibly lulling. I like thinking that you could dive into a cloud. I used to think that cloud were heaven. The first time I flew in a plane I remember looking for angels. I also can imagine the life in all living things. Perhaps its my Cherokee indian heritage flowing through my veins but I can kind of relate to Disney's Pocahontas. Wouldn't it be great to have a tree to give you advice?



I am not a fan, however, of dirt or sand in my toes or fingernails. I hate being dirty. I am terrified of caves. Repelling is for people who don't care about living. I don't care for shared showers or mudslides.

And there was my traumatic camp experiences at ages 9, 10, 11 and 12--mud, caves, shower shoes. I will never forget the child who had diarrhea in the river we were crossing. I had fears about swimming in a river for the rest of my life. But when my daughter started begging for camp...I felt a bit thrilled on the inside.



My daughter has been begging for camp for months on end. She doesn't care about bringing a friend. She wants to be outdoors, riding horses, ziplining, camping overnight, cooking things over a fire. This is a girl comfortable in her own skin. She knows what brings her joy and is not afraid to take a chance.

We went to Holiday World the other weekend and she said "mom, I prayed the whole time that I would have the courage to ride every ride and fight my fear". Again, this child is a million years old

When Meaghan was three she looked at me and said "Mom, in this life...don't be afraid, be curious". Somehow we were talking about the Bermuda triangle...but I still tell myself this when I find myself retreating over something in life.

So I am amazed by my little girl. I do not believe I have pushed her to be the things I always wished I could have been. Independent, courageous, finding joy in everything, fearless, confident, and so comfortable in her own skin. I know she is simply herself. But sometimes I look at her and think about how I wish I could have been more like that. As a result, I tell her all the time how much she amazes me.

And she really does.

So while Camp Piomingo was a mix of fun and traumatic experiences...I so look forward to giving my daughter what she begged for for so long. She is nervous and excited. She asked me tonight what to do if the other girls didn't like her. I said "Meag--who doesn't like you? Everyone likes you". With a laugh in her eye she said "robbers and bad people do not like me". I said "well, lets pray you have no mean robbers as cabinmates".

I can't believe I can't speak to her for 5 days. I already mailed her a letter.

So many memories my daughter will be replicating. But better.



I couldn't have asked for a cooler kid. Everything I wish I could have been. And now I get to empower her. Momhood really rocks.

5 comments:

  1. So sweet! I bet she'll have a wonderful time. She sounds like she's very wise. It's even more awesome that she has a mom who understands and encourages her instead of telling her to be quiet or submissive. You two are the perfect combination. :)

    You & I are more alike than we thought - I like the outdoors too, as long as I don't have to interact with it too much. I'm an observer of beauty....and when I was a kid I pretended the ancient trees on my parents' farm could speak to me. This was years before Disney did it. ;)

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  2. That was a tough drop off. Tears were shed once i hit the car.

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  3. So I got here because I randomly googled(Not a word ha) Piomingo. I was actually looking for some pictures of Camp. Instead I found THIS ^_^. I'm a current and previous Camp Counselor there and I wanted to say thank you for your story. Honestly I have a tendency to dislike parents during drop off and pick up so I'm really glad that you're a GREAT mom and I thank you for being one. I hope your daughter enjoyed Camp and got the experience she deserved. Remember to be Amazing :)

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  4. She loved the experience and we need to get her back in this summer! Thank you for reading our story. :)

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  5. That was really sweet, and great quote from you daughter! I remember Camp Piomingo; went there when I was 12! My friend, Tres, broke his arm really badly.

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